Rotary internal combustion engine



May 1942- H. F. WOLSTENHOLME 3,284,185 1 ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed March 25, 1940 4 SheeJs-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

May 26, 1942. H. F. WOLSTENHOLME 2,234,186

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed March 25, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY.

Gap W May 26, 1942. H. F. WOLSTENHOLME 2,234,186

I ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed March 25, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENT OR.

ATTORNEY.

y 1942. H. F. WOLSTENHOLME v 2,284,186

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed March 25, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 26, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,284,186 I ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Harry F. Wolstenholme, Paterson, N. J.

Application March 25, 1940, Serial No. 325,834

4 Claims.

In my Patents Nos. 1,796,750; 2,124,327 and 2,142,706, and mypending application Serial No. 265,643, now Patent No. 2,222,133, I have set forth certain improvements in rotary internal-combustion engines of the type characterized by the inclusion of two, elements one of which is constantly rotated in one direction and one of which has a cylinder formed annular and with an opening or slot extending continuously thereof around the main axis of the engine and the other of which is coaxial with andhas an abutment or abutments in the cylinder; oscillatory means having a piston or pistons in the cylinder; and means, operatively connecting said elements and connected tosaid oscillatory means, for oscillating the latter.

The present invention contemplates certain improvements in engines of this type among which may be briefly indicated the following:

In these engines the means last referred to above has included a rotary member, as a gear, journaled in the abutment-including element and operatively connected with the oscillatory means to oscillate the same and obtaining its purchase on the other or cylinder-including element, as by being in toothed engagement with the latter. According to this invention the purchase-affording portion of the latter element is rotatively adjustable around the axis of the engine, thus to adjust the timing thereof.

The cylinder-including element has heretofore had the mentioned continuous opening or slot in the cylinder so disposed as to be divided by a plane perpendicular to the axis around which the cylinder is developed to annular form, or to be open radially inwardly of the cylinder. According to the present invention this opening is arranged so as to face laterally or lengthwise of the engine axis. If certain breathing" of the engine is to be permitted such may be provided for, according to this latter construction, without complication or expensive fashioning of the working parts of the engine such as characterizes the construction when the 'slot is open radially inwardly of the cylinder.

The invention also contemplates that the en-' gine shall include a novel gearing system by which while the oscillator undergoes a certain over-all progress rotatively it is twice made to undergo afull back-and-forth movement, for

affecting intake, compression, explosion and exhaust.

The cylinder-including element (which will usually be the stator) is preferably formed in two hollow sections facing each other and thereby providing a lubricant-containing housing, and the cylinder is a part of one of these sections. The space of this housing is sealed between the sections by the other of said elements and the oscillatory means or oscillator, which latter also seal off the explosion spaces of the cylinder, preferably with the coaction of a tapered ring adapted to be adjusted into the slot of the cylinder.

The two mentioned sections may be held fast to a suitable base or, as hereinafter shown, rigidly united.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the engine;

Fig. 2 is a left-hand end elevation;

Fig. 3 is a section perpendicular to the main engine axis and on substantially the line 3- 3, Fig. 4, parts appearing in elevation;

Fig. 4 is a section on substantially the line g- Fig. 5 is a section on line 55, Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on line 66, Fig. 3, of a modified form and showing certain gearing in elevation;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a detail in a plane between pistons of the rotor and oscillator;

Fig. 8 is a similar sectional view of a modified form of such detail; and

Figs. 9 and 10 are left-hand elevations of the rotor and piston structure or oscillator as viewed from the left in Fig. 3, certain parts appearing in section and others broken away.

The stator.--l and 2 designate two semi-bulbous shells to form the mentioned housing and having feet I 11-21; to be fixed to some common base with the open sides of the shells facing each direction in which extends the axis around which the cylinder is formed annular; such cylinder may be formed in two-approximate halves, as shown, one of which may be integral with the shell I and the other secured thereto by screws 6 (Fig. 2). The section including shell 2 has a ring I surrounding and projecting from its mouth portion and screwed thereon so as to be adjustable axially of the engine. (As shown in Fig. 7 this ring may be held to'section 2 against turning by screws 10). This section also has an These shells form parts of separate sec axial inwardly projecting hub 3 circumferentially rabbeted at 811 and to the end of which is fast a disk 9 of such diameter that it forms with the rabbet a groove as shown in Fig. 4. Forming a stationary part of this section is an internally toothed sun-gear l fitting the groove and having an external toothed segment Illa with which meshes a rotary worm ll journaled in shell 2 and having an external hand-wheel I la.

The rotor I2 is the main shaft of the engine journaled in bearings 3 and forming a part of th rotor, the rotor proper of which is thus con-.

structed (Fig. 9): A flat annulus I3 has a lateral peripheral flange 13a from which extend equidistant lugs l3b, the hub I30 for the annulus being keyed to the shaft. Each lug has affixed thereto an abutment or piston H which fits cylinder 4 and an anti-clockwise extending halfcylindrical skirt Ila. Atthe anti-clockwise side of each lug the flanged margin ofthe annulus is cut away to form an opening l3d. From the hub projects a two-armed crank I5. Keyed to theshaft and spaced from the rotor is another two-armed crank lia'whose arms are in the same radii as those of crank IS.

The oscillator I6 is a flat annulus having a lateral flange lGa (of less extent or depth than flange I3a) from which extend lugs lBb (of the same number as lugs I3b), the hub I60 for the annulus being free to turn on shaft 3. To each lug is afiixed an abutment or piston I1 which also fits cylinder 4 and has a half-cylindrical clock wise-extending skirt Ila formed to flt within the skirt Ila of a corresponding abutment H. (The concave sides of the skirts face as shown in Fig. 4 or toward the slot The diameter of the oscillator thus formed is sumciently less than that of the rotor so that in the assembled state of the engine flange l3a of the rotor surrounds that of the oscillator, though closely.

As shown by Fig, 4 the rotor and oscillator have their annuli between the sections l-2 of the stator, they being spaced by a concentric rib I62: of the oscillator, and a similar rib l3a: of the rotor providing a tongue-and-groove connection with ring I. WhatI term the explosion spaces l8, Fig. 3, between the pistons and abutments of the rotor and oscillator are sealed off from the atmosphere by the flanges l3a-l6a and a wedgering l9 screwed onto flange l3a. What I term breathing spaces are those which alternate with the explosion spaces, or coincide with the telescoped skirts llw-l 1a, having access to the atmosphere at the crevices (Fig. 5) which exist between ring l9 and flange Ilia of the oscillator in coincidence with the openings I3d of the rotor.

The different parts of the transmission means are as follows: In arms of the cranks IS-lSa is journaled a twin intermediate gear whose smaller member 2| is in mesh with the sun-gear. In the other arms of the cranks is J'oumaled a planetgear 22 which meshes with the larger member 23 of the intermediate gear and which has a crank 22w. This crank is pivotally connected by a link 24 with an eccentric point of the oscillator.

Projecting from the rotor annulus and diverted around the cylinder I are radial fan blades 25 for cooling the cylinder.

An endless channel or groove 26 exists between the cylinder 4 and the body part of shell I and at each of four equally spaced intervals this is developed, by partitions 26a and an outer wall 26b bridging the partitions, to form a fuel supply space 21 to which the fuel mixture is admitted from any suitable source via passages 21a and delivered to the cylinder via ports 21b. The retor rotates as per the arrow in Fig. 3 and suitably aft of each space 21 an exhaust port or exhaust 28 leads from the cylinder. At 29 are the spark-plugs each suitably aft of a space 21 and between it and the corresponding exhaust.

Operation.-In the example there is a 1x8v ratio between the sun-gear and the planet gear 10, wherefore for each full revolution of the rotor the oscillator completes eight full back-andforth movements. Of the intakes, spark-plugs and exhausts, there are in this example four each. Therefore as the explosion spaces l8 travel each through 90 of the cylinder they simultaneously undergo two such full back-andforth movements, first undergoing expansion to draw in fuel from the corresponding fuel-supply space 21, then contraction to compress the fuel,

then expansion as an instance of the explosion caused by the corresponding spark-plug and then contraction to discharge the burnt fuel at the corresponding exhaust 28.

As for the breathing spaces between the pistons and coinciding with their skirts, these are always open via the crevices 20 and openings l3d of the rotor, wherefore the suction and pressure otherwise present in said spaces offer no resistance to the oscillations of the oscillator or piston structure.

The necessary accurate timing is attained by rotating the worm H and thus the (otherwise flxed) sun gear.

As heretofore described, the two sections l-2 of the stator are assumed to be held in flxed relation to each other merely by the base or other support to which they are afllxed. But as shown in Fig. 8 there may be an annular housing 30, bridging the space between the two sections, to tie them together, such being secured by screws 3| to each of them. Such means will usually be formed annular and concentric with the sections, providing a space 32 with which the breathing spaces communicate via the crevices 20. This view also shows that the ring l9 may be subject to the pressure of a screw 33.screwed into the housing 20 and active on the ring l9 through a spring 34.

In Fig. 6, 35 is the rotor proper and 36 the oscillator both generally the same as before except that their positions are reversed, and, the rotor being assumed to have a double crank 31 the same as in Fig. 9. But instead of there being a companion double crank (such as I511) to the left of crank 31 such companion double crank 31a is at the right of and formed integral with the crank 31. The sun gear 38 is externally toothed and may have a tongue 38a formed with a toothed segment 38b to be engaged by such a worm as H already described, except that the worm is here shown in vertical position. Meshing with the sun gear is a pinion 39 having its shaft-39a journaled in two opposed arms of the two double cranks, the sun gear and pinion being in a 4 to 1 ratio. Forming a unit with the pinion and shaft is a gear 40. In the other two arms of the double cranks is journaled a crank shaft 4! having its crank pivoted to a link 42 and thus pivotally connected with the oscillator. The crank has aflixed thereto a pinion 43 meshing with the gear 40, 43 and 40 being in a 1 to 2 ratio.

Although usually in practice the element constituted by the two sections l2 will be fixed and thus form the stator and the other element rotate and thus form' the rotor, I do not wish to be limited to this condition since either element might rotate and the other remain stationary.

It will be understood that the element here formed by the sections l--2, together with the rotor and oscillator, form a housing for lubricant for the contained moving parts.

The structure comprising sections l--2 and the sun gear may be regarded as two distinct units in one of which (l-Z) is rotatively adjustable the other around the main engine axis.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is: I

l. A rotary internal-combustion engine comprising an element includingan annular cylinder and having a slot open laterally and extending continuously of the cylinder around the axis around which the cylinder is developed annular, another element having an annular portion concentric with and projecting through the slot into and terminating in a piston in the cylinder, one

such element being rotative around said axis, an oscillator element oscillatory around said axis and having an annular portion also concentric with and projecting through the slot into andterminating in a piston in the cylinder, the secondnamed element and oscillatory element forming between their pistons an explosion space and together closing the slot in coincidence with such space, means, operatively connecting the first two elements and operatively connected to the oscillatory element, for oscillating the latter, and a sealing ring concentric with said axis and supported by one of the parts which comprise the first-named element and one of the other two elements and projecting into the slot and adjustable in a direction into or out of the slot.

2. A rotary internal-combustion engine including two hollow spaced sections having open sides facing each other and one of them having formed around it an annular cylinder having a slot open continuously of the cylinder in the same direction as the open side of such section faces, a rotor :Iournaled in both sections concentrically with the cylinder, an oscillator oscillatory concentrically with the cylinder, said rotor and oscillator together occupying the space between the sections and each having a portion projecting through the slot and terminating in a piston in the cylinder, and means, operativel connecting one of said sections and the rotor and operatively connected to the oscillator, for oscillating the latter, said pistons forming between them an explosion space and said engine having means to around it an annular cylinder having a slot open v continuously of the cylinder in the same direction as the open side of such section faces, a rotor joumaled in both sections concentrically with the cylinder, an oscillator oscillatory concentrically with the cylinder, said rotor and oscillator having side-by-side annuli concentric with the cylinder and together occupying the space between the sections and each having a portion projecting through the slot and terminating in a piston in the cylinder, and means, operatively connecting one of said sections and the rotor and operatively connected to the oscillator, for oscillating the latter, said pistons forming between them an explosion space and said annuli being coactive to close said slot in coincidence with said explosion space.

4. A rotary internal-combustion engine comprising an element including an annular cylinder having a slot open laterally and extending continuously of the 'cylinder around the axis around which the cylinder is developed annular, another element having a portion projecting through the slot into and terminating in a piston in the cylinder, one such element being rotative around said axis, an oscillator element oscillatory around said axis and having a portion also projecting through the slot into and terminating in a piston'in the cylinder, the space at one side of one piston being an explosion space and at the other side a breathing space and said portions closing the slot in coincidence with the explosion space but leaving the slot open in coincidence with the breathing space, and means, operatively connecting the first two elements and operatively connected to the oscillatory element, for oscillating the latter.

. HARRY F. WOLSTENHOLME. 

